George Wickham is a soldier who at first charms Elizabeth and later seduces Lydia. He has a pleasant, sociable character that gives off an instant good impression, and he has traded on this ability his entire life, from endearing himself to Darcy’s father, to pursuing Georgiana Darcy, and then charming all of Meryton. Wickham gets compared to Mr. Darcy quite a bit by the novel’s characters, initially favorably. Comparing the two ultimately plays into the novel’s theme of integrity because while Darcy is a good person who lacks charm, Wickham is all charm masking a selfish interior; he is a thoroughly immoral character. Darcy begins the novel with a small circle of friends, but they all are loyal to him. Although those in Wickham’s regiment initially like him, by the time he absconds with Lydia, Colonel Foster considers him “imprudent” and distrusts him. While Darcy manages his fortune and estate well, Wickham runs up debts wherever he goes. As Darcy’s complete opposite, Wickham serves as a commentary on how easily people can be misled by first impressions and the weakness of charm as an indicator of character.